Indian in coma identified by shirt label in Dubai

Dubai, Oct 27 (UNI) An Indian immigrant, who has been in coma for almost a year here was finally identified after the label on his shirt was found to be carrying his village's name.

Billu, who is currently recuperating at Rashid Hospital here, was found lying unconscious on a Deira road by Dubai Police in June 2006.

He had suffered extreme heatstroke and might have been mugged, as he did not have any money or identification papers.

It was a label stitched on his collar by B L Tailor, Islampur, 329839, that helped identify him as Billu Jagdish, a resident of Rajasthan.

A volunteer from social organisation Valley of Love, who visited Billu regularly and tried to ascertain his identity said the only clue to his identity was the name of the town, Islampur.

Incidentally, three towns in India share the name.

''We kept calling the number of the tailoring shop on various ISD codes, until we made a breakthrough two weeks ago. The tailor did not know the identity of the patient, but the search now had narrowed down,'' the volunteer was quoted as saying by the Gulf News.

The NGO now plans to construct a room with attached bathroom for Billu in his village. His wife will also be trained so that she is able to provide him the nursing care that is required once her husband comes home.

Under a 'Save Billu' campaign, contributions have been pouring in.

The volunteers still require 7,000 to 9,000 dirhams to send Billu back to India.

''We are also planning to deposit a minimum of 50,000 dirhams as a steady income for the family. Billu was their sole bread earner.

We are still looking for supporters who are willing to help us,'' the volunteer said.